even if the house has fallen down
by Empty Thoughts
Summary: You decide it's probably the strangest morning you've ever had, but at the moment you can't conjure up any other mornings. Then you hear a loud sound that seems to find its way through your eardrums and into the very bones of your spine, making it shiver. How Percy met our favourite wolf goddess. Pre- Son of Neptune. Companion to 'we still stand strong' by Taffeh A. Llama


You wake up on the floor, the cold, hard, concrete floor. It takes a minute for you to get your bearings, but even after your head straightens out, you're confused. And then you realize you're cold, because you're not wearing any shoes.

You might still be confused, unable to remember your first or last name, but you're pretty sure you aren't the kind of person to go for a walk and forgets shoes.

For some strange reason you're in what's left of an old stone building. You can see where big open windows used to be, what's left of chimneys, and the moss that's slowly making a happy home there.

You stand up and turn around slowly, taking it all in. You feel intimidated, unsafe, unsettled. You shouldn't be here. You start to feel like the walls are growing taller, you're getting shorter and there's no possible way to get out.

You force yourself to take a few deep breaths. You close your eyes and the walls start to shrink again. You feel your right hand squeeze, like instinct. It's only then you realize what's in your hand, and then you're shocked.

That's a sword. That's a _sword_.

You decide it's probably the strangest morning you've ever had, but at the moment you can't conjure up any other mornings.

Then you hear a loud sound that seems to find its way through your eardrums and into the very bones of your spine, making it shiver. What's that?

You try to make memories appear out of the thin air, but your mind comes up blank.

You start to wonder if you're trespassing, and whatever made that sound is about to kick you out. Or worse.

The sound pierces through the air again, making you cringe. It's getting closer, you realize. Once again you take in your surrounding. You seem to be in some sort of pit, right over the ledge of it is what you think are windows that haven't held glass in years. The ledge ends just above your forehead, which could prove to be a problem if you need to escape quickly.

The howls get closer and you can imagine their light footsteps creeping and closer until they're breathing down your neck.

_Think. _You beg your mind to release some memories so you can figure out how to escape such a situation.

The howls grow more frequent until you can hear the footsteps of numerous beings. What were they called again?

_Wolf. Wolves. _Your mind whispers, suddenly remembering the word. It seemed to be waking up slowly, because now you're seeing things you didn't see before, like the chip in the wall a few feet away that would make a good hand hold and how there's a small puddle of water in the corner, like it had just rained.

You feel nervous, you know for some reason you shouldn't be here. It's wrong. You feel like this is hallowed ground, and you're marching all over it with your bare feet.

Something sinister had been going on beneath you, you can feel it. Something is wrong. You're not sure how you can tell, but as soon as the feeling comes, it's gone. What _really_had been going on here?

You turn 360 again, wondering which direction the wolves will be coming from. You listen closely. _The right_, you decided. _No, the left._It changes every second as they approach.

_They have you surrounded_, you realize.

You quickly glance at the sword, thinking it might just come in handy. You watch and admire as light bounces aimlessly off of it.

Where did it come from, you wonder. _Riptide_- the name jumps to your mind.

Then you feel it. On the back of your neck. You glance up from the sword, unmoving. Across the pit is a wolf of average size staring at you with it's deep brown eyes. You stare back.

As slowly as you can you turn on the balls of your bare feet to the other side. What you see shocks you so much you stumble back and fall.

The biggest, baddest looking wolf you've ever seen is there in between an arch where a window used to reside, peering into your soul with bright silver eyes. You don't move except for the rapid rise and fall of your chest. The wolf doesn't either, its hard gaze never leaving you.

You aren't sure whether or not to drop your sword.

Finally it's you who backs down. You look around for more giant wolves. Thankfully there is none because you don't like your chances if you have to face the large brown wolf and it's small companion.

The large wolf finally takes action, it tilts its head back and lets loose a howl that would have been loud enough to shatter the windows if they had still existed.

Suddenly other smaller wolfs appear, circling you from all directions. You are so, _so _screwed. None of the wolves dare to jump in and join you; they seem to be waiting for the other wolf's command.

You slowly stand up. If you're going to die, it's going to be standing up, fighting.

The wolf with silver eyes almost as bright as the moon seemed to chuckle. Now you eye it warily again. Besides the fact that you barely come up to its shoulders, something is amiss. The other wolves continue to glare. There must be almost twenty in total.

_Are you lost? _A woman asks, amused. You spin around again, trying to find her. She chuckles again. _You must have lost your touch while you were napping. _

"Napping?" You echo. Your left hand finds its way to the back of your neck. You feel something, causing you to lose your train of thought. On a leather cord is a set of four beads. You don't understand what they mean, but you can _feel_that they're special.

_Pay attention, young one. Distractions can get you killed. _As she says this, she leaps down gracefully. You back up. The she-wolf finds this amusing, and the other wolves seem to agree.

"What's going on?" You try to sound forceful, but you don't think it turned out well.

_It appears you've been sent to me. The gods have been meddling. Do you know who you are, little hero? _The she-wolf stars circling you at an agonizing pace.

"Who are you?" You don't want to admit you don't know the answer.

The she-wolf stops and gives another grin. _I am Lupa. Trainer of demigods, mother of Rome. _

You nod, not knowing what else to do. "Cool." You say awkwardly.

Lupa shakes her head. She takes a step then leaps up the other side. _Are you coming_?

It takes you four or five steps then you hoist yourself over after a couple of tries. You watch the wolves carefully just to make sure they aren't going to nip at your ankles. Lupa glances behind her numerous times, but for some reason you know she isn't glancing at you.

_What is your sword called, pup? _

"Anaklusmos," You reply without thinking.

Lupa looks back at you gravely.

"What?" You ask.

Lupa doesn't reply.

You halt sharply. A wolf narrowly avoids collision with your legs. It glares up at you like it liked that specific direction and now you messed up its path. "What's going on here?"

_You're a demigod. _Lupa says. _Half god, half human._

You nod like you already knew this. How much weirder could this day get, anyways? And it wasn't even noon..."'Where are you taking me?"

_I'm taking you to a safe haven for your kind. That is, if you survive the journey. _

You nod again. "Okay."

Lupa starts walking again, and you have to jog to keep up. You walk for a long amount of time, with Lupa leading the way. She eventually takes you to a hill. Below are rows upon rows of houses that go on into the far distance, only stopping once they reach the beach.

Before you know what's happening, there's a searing pain behind your eyes, like something on the inside was poking it with a white-hot stick.

Lupa glances up, as if to say, _are you dying already?_She looks unconcerned.

When it fades to just a dull headache, Lupa begins to walk again. Her wolves follow one by one until you're the last person. Your mind is still mush from the brain attack, but through the fog you were able to catch a few things.

_Annabeth_. A flash of gray eyes and blonde hair.

What connection did she have to here? You know she's important. You look towards Lupa's receding form. Maybe she knows. After all, Annabeth is probably a demigod too, right? And Lupa's taking you to a demigod safehaven. Annbeth is probably already there. Maybe she knows what's going on.

You take off back down the hill.

She's important, you can just _feel _it.


End file.
